Weekly Scripture Studies
September 17, 2000 Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
The information and commentary presented each week on this page are actually notes for the Saturday Scripture Class held at St. Raymond Parish, Dublin, Ca. These notes are not intended to be used in isolation but as background information for the readings and starting points for group discussion. This page is updated with the following Sunday's readings each Monday night (California Time). The Saturday Morning Scripture Class meets to discuss the weekend Mass readings each Saturday from 9:15 to 10:15 in Multipurpose Room No. 2. No registration or prior arrangement is needed; everyone is welcome anytime.
This weekend we celebrate the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings this week call upon us to consider the role of suffering in our life and especially in our faith. The first reading introduces the theme of the necessity of suffering and the confidence that is with us even in suffering when we follow God's will. It prompts me to ask, how confident am I? James tells us in the second reading that our faith must be a living faith not a dead faith. Such a faith must be expressed in action. How alive is my faith? Jesus tells us in the gospel that His messiahship and His suffering are tied together. It was by His death and resurrection that His Messiahship was revealed. We too will suffer death to self if we are to share in His resurrection. How willing have I been to pick up my cross and follow Him?
First Reading: Isaiah 50: 5-9a or 50: 4c-9a
4c Morning after morninghe opens my ear that I may hear;
5 And I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
6 I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
My face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
7 The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
8 He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let him confront me.
9 See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
NOTES on First Reading:
* The reading is taken from the third (50:4-11) of the four "Servant-of-the-Lord" oracles or songs. The others are found in Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-7; and 52:13-53:12.In this oracle the Servant speaks in verses 4-9 ; while in verses 50:10-11, which are not part of this Sunday's reading, God reproves the people for not following the Servant.
* 50:5 There is a slight numbering difference between the NAB and other translations. The last part of verse 4 in the NAB appears as the first part of verse 5 in most other versions.
The Servant does not refuse the divine vocation. He is eager to obey the divine will.
* 50:6 He willingly submits to insults and beatings. The statement, "Plucked my beard" is probably a reference to a grave insult rather than indicating literal plucking of the beard.
Second Reading: James 2: 14-18
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? 17 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.18 Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 2:14 For James: Faith means the free acceptance of God's saving revelation and works means the obedient implementation of God's revealed will in every aspect of life. For James, the first must of necessity carry the second with it. In this verse he does not imply that such faith can really exist completely apart from deeds but only that the claim can be made.* 2:17-18 The main point of the preceding analogy is made explicit in these verse. Unaccompanied by deeds, faith is dead since it is contrary to "faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). The comparison that James is making is not one of faith versus works as many people suppose but rather one of living faith versus dead faith.
Gospel Reading: Mark 8: 27-35
27 Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" 28 They said in reply, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." 29 And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Messiah." 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
34 He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.
NOTES on Gospel:
* 8:27-10:52 Two blind men stories act as bookends for unfolding revelation. The disciples begin to see and recognize Jesus as the Christ. They find His humanity and the fact that He must suffer and die even harder to understand than His power. Mark shows us that His disciples would like Jesus to be a sure way to a painless, happy life on earth. Thus it is a constant temptation to refuse the cross of our leader. In the midst of all this Jesus calls for child-like trust.* 8:27-9:29 These verses deal with the heart of the question,"Who is Jesus?"
* 8:29 "Messiah" or "Christ" in Greek means anointed one. Old Testament mentions of the coming anointed one include: 2 Sam 7:1-17; Isa 9:5; 11:1-9; Ps 2:7-9; 72:1-20; 110:1-7
* 8:30 They are not to tell anyone until they understand what it means.
* 8:31 Here Jesus begins to build on the act of faith that they just made. The words, "began to teach", indicate not an off-hand remark but a sustained period where He tried to explain what would happen.
"Son of Man" is a descriptive phrase that can simply mean a man, and it does in Ezekiel where the prophet is often addressed that way by the Lord but this expression also is used in Dan 7:13 to describe a Messianic being who is presented before God in Daniel's night visions and given power, dominion and an everlasting kingdom.
* 8:32 The disciples are shocked. They are not ready to deal with the possibility that Jesus will be treated that way. If Jesus must suffer would does that mean for His followers.
* 8:34 Jesus gives three conditions for discipleship:
- "deny himself" or loose sight of self;
- "take up his cross" or be prepared to go the whole way;
- "follow me" or maintain the relationship with Jesus as the Master who we follow.
Jesus is telling us that only the Kingdom of God is a worthy goal. All else including life itself is as nothing compared to the value of the Kingdom.
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Page Created: Monday, September 11, 2000